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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379594">Ace</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows'>changingshadows</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TWICE (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cemetery, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Ghosts, Past Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:29:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every day, when Dahyun walks to and from work, she always sees a cat sat atop a wall in one neighbourhood.</p><p>One evening, the cat takes her somewhere.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>warning: this one shot does talk about death, including visiting a cemetery and tombstones</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dahyun knows these streets like the back of her hand. She strolls through them every morning and every evening, before and after her long shift working at a grocery store. It's a job. It pays the bills. As much as other people might turn their nose up at a job like that, Dahyun's very content with it.</p><p>Heading out of the store after yet another long day, she turns to see her co-worker, Nayeon, lock the door then move over to push the button that brings the shutter down. She and Nayeon are almost <em> always </em>the last two people left behind, and have the incredibly fun (read: tedious) job of making sure everything’s in order in the store before leaving it all behind for another day.</p><p>The sound of the shutter slowly moving downwards makes Dahyun pull an awkward face. Nayeon catches this and mirrors it, saying, “I wonder why they never upgraded this thing.”</p><p>“I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Dahyun shrugs her right shoulder quite dramatically, her cheek hitting the top before letting it fall again. Nayeon lets out a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a tut, before putting her hand on one hip and shifting her weight to her left leg.</p><p>“Come on!” she wills the shutter, impatiently. Dahyun laughs a little under her breath; the unpleasant sound makes her ears twitch a bit as she turns away from the screen. It’s a brisk evening. Dahyun puts her hands in her pockets and sighs loudly. She left her gloves at home that morning.</p><p>Finally, the bottom of the shutter hits the ground with a harsh <em> thud. </em>Nayeon takes out a set of keys from her bag and uses them to switch off the control pad before replacing them and readjusting the strap on her shoulder. Pivoting on the spot, she comes face to face with Dahyun. “Shall we go?” Nayeon smiles, tight-lipped, fighting off the breeze that washes over them every few seconds. Dahyun simply nods and they walk alongside one another, taking a slow stroll away from the grocery store and down the street.</p><p>They don’t talk for a while. Not that things are awkward between them. The two of them enjoy each other’s company.</p><p>Nayeon had been working at the grocery store for three years when Dahyun became an employee. Nayeon trained Dahyun, and they became friends soon enough. Dahyun admitted to Nayeon one day a few months later that, initially, she was intimidated by the older woman.</p><p>
  <em> Don’t take that too personally, honestly. It’s just three years of me working here, one year of that being an assistant manager at this godforsaken place. </em>
</p><p>Dahyun had wondered at one point why Nayeon hated the job so much. She figured she hadn't worked there long enough to understand.</p><p>A whole year later, Dahyun still doesn't understand. But she's fine with that.</p><p>"You're in your last year of college, right? Business major?" Nayeon turns to the younger.</p><p>Dahyun looks a little puzzled as she eyes Nayeon briefly before turning her attention to the path in front of her. She's told Nayeon this before. "Yes…" <em> 'Maybe she just wants to make conversation.' </em></p><p>"How's your studying going for finals?"</p><p><em> 'Ah.' </em>"Hm, as well as it could go, I suppose. Mum's making sure I revise as much as possible."</p><p>"Does she phone you up at random times like, <em> I hope you're revising!" </em>Dahyun chuckles inwardly as Nayeon outright laughs. A stark contrast. The wind passes by in between the two of them and feels like an icy chill on the skin. Nayeon suddenly shudders from it, "Brr, it's cold." She seems to close in on herself more, hunching her shoulders quickly as a way to fight the breeze.</p><p>Dahyun doesn't let Nayeon's statement go in one ear and out the other. "She does. Sometimes."</p><p>Picking up on her words, Nayeon turns to look at Dahyun as they walk. She doesn't need to look at the path as much, she too knows these streets well.</p><p>"Do you miss your Mum? Your Dad?"</p><p>Immediately, Dahyun thinks it's a stupid question to ask, but she eats her words before she can say her true response to it. "Yeah, I do."</p><p>The melancholy in Dahyun's voice rings too true for Nayeon, remembering how often the college student would lament over not having seen her parents in so long. Now <em> she's </em> the one to think about how absurd of a question it is, and apologises. Dahyun forgives her, knowing that it never comes from a malicious place.</p><p>The silence returns. They continue walking down the street until they reach the point where they part ways. Nayeon turns to Dahyun, “You’re in tomorrow, right?” Dahyun nods a couple of times. “Awesome, well, I’ll see you then.” Nayeon waves goodbye with a smile, a gesture Dahyun returns before sighing and putting her hand back in her pocket. The wind has picked up speed a little and Dahyun spins around on the spot until she’s facing the route that would lead her back to her dorm.</p><p>The streets are quiet. Not completely empty. A few cars pass Dahyun every so often and there's a small gust of wind every time one of them does. She sighs as she approaches the neighbourhood she walks through every morning and every evening to get to and from her dorm. She looks left and right at the houses, the cars parked outside, the odd tree growing here and there. Towards the end of the neighbourhood, she spots what she always sees on her travels: a tabby cat.</p><p>Whenever Dahyun passes through the neighbourhood, she always sees the same cat. It sits on top of a brick wall calmly, like it’s waiting for someone or something to come, that someone usually being Dahyun. Like always, Dahyun smiles as she passes the cat and reaches out to pet it, when it jumps down and starts circling her feet.</p><p>“Oh!” Dahyun says, a little startled. She crouches down and pets the cat as it tries its best to get her attention. “Hello, there. Nice to see you again.” The cat lifts its front legs and rests them on Dahyun’s thigh and she chuckles. “You alright?” she asks. Dahyun does this every evening, mainly because she doesn’t have enough time to in the morning when she needs to either go to work or class.</p><p>It’s like every other evening. Except it isn’t.</p><p>The cat does something it had never done before any other time Dahyun saw it: it lies down in front of her and stretches, taking up the entire width of the path. Dahyun tips her head to the side, a little puzzled. It then rolls over, side to side, and Dahyun lets out another chuckle. “What’s up?” Standing up again, she says, “I have to get back home.”</p><p>Immediately, the cat stands and begins circling around Dahyun’s legs again. Now she’s worried.</p><p>“Hey, is there something wrong?” she asks the cat. Looking up at her, the cat begins to walk away, glancing back every so often. That’s when Dahyun realises. It wants her to follow.</p><p>This is confirmed when every time Dahyun follows the cat’s lead, it continues in the same direction it wants her to go in, but whenever Dahyun veers off course the cat quickly jumps to stand in front of her to make sure she’s following. A loud sigh escapes her lips. <em> ‘Guess I’m not going back to the dorm any time soon.’ </em></p><p>Pulling out her phone, she sends a quick message to the roommates groupchat that’ll she be back a little later as she needs to get something quickly, and in a way it’s true. She needs to get to the bottom of what this cat wants.</p><p>The further and further they go, the more Dahyun starts to piece together where exactly they could be going. They pass a certain place in her mind and it gets crossed off the list. Process of elimination.</p><p>That’s when she and the cat pass a sign directing them to the cemetery.</p><p>Dahyun knits her eyebrows together and stares at the cat. In her mind, she thinks the cat can’t <em> possibly </em> be leading her there, but sure enough, some time later, she finds herself standing in front of a sign that says <em> Seoul National Cemetery. </em></p><p>The cat moves to sit to the right of Dahyun; it looks up at her. Dahyun glances back down at the cat. “Why are we here?” she asks it curiously. Standing up again, the cat directs her into the cemetery.</p><p>They walk for some time until the cat stops in front of a specific tombstone. Climbing onto the stone, the cat meows loudly.</p><p>Moving to stand in front of the stone, Dahyun crouches down and looks at the engraving.</p><p>“Son Chaeyoung...I recognise that name. She passed away just over a year ago. She lived in that house. I only saw her every so often. She didn’t go to university but went to a separate school altogether. For art. I’ve seen one or two of her drawings. She was a talented artist,” she says solemnly. Her eyes find the cat perched on top of the tombstone. “You sit on top of the brick wall outside that house, I know that.”</p><p>Dahyun remembers when the new homeowners moved in a couple of weeks ago, they spoke about seeing the same cat always sitting on top of the brick wall. A couple of the family members say it’s a symbol, the others say it’s just a stray cat.</p><p>The gears start turning in Dahyun’s mind. “Did you belong to Chaeyoung? Is that why you found the house again all those months ago?”</p><p><em>“You could say the cat </em> is <em> me.” </em></p><p>Dahyun jumps up and turns around to see no one standing behind her. She’s <em> certain </em>she heard a voice. “H-Hello?”</p><p>
  <em> “Hey.” </em>
</p><p>The voice appears again, a soft, light, distant echo, and Dahyun has <em> no </em>idea where it’s coming from. It then hits her.</p><p>
  <em> ‘I recognise that voice.’ </em>
</p><p>Dahyun didn’t talk to Chaeyoung very much. They only said <em> hello </em>to one another in passing whenever Dahyun was going somewhere. But she knows that voice.</p><p>“Ch-Chaeyoung?”</p><p><em> “That’s me.” </em>Dahyun can’t see Chaeyoung, but can hear her voice, and it brings tears to her eyes.</p><p>“Where are you?” Dahyun starts pivoting on the spot until her eyes land on the tombstone again. Standing behind it, is a woman about her height with short black hair. “Oh my God…”</p><p>
  <em> “Hey, Dahyun. How are you?” </em>
</p><p>“I’m…” Dahyun doesn’t know how to answer. “I’m, well…” A lump forms in her throat. Lost for words, she wipes the tear falling down her cheek and looks at Chaeyoung again.</p><p>Chaeyoung walks through the tombstone and stands opposite Dahyun. She rests a hand on Dahyun’s right shoulder, but Dahyun can’t feel a hand. She can only feel a chill.</p><p>
  <em> “It’s okay. I’m right here.” </em>
</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Dahyun suddenly blurts out. Chaeyoung tilts her head to the side. “I’m sorry we didn’t talk more or...become friends. I don’t know why we never did I...I still regret it to this day.”</p><p>A warm smile appears on Chaeyoung’s face as she lifts her other hand to place it on Dahyun’s opposite shoulder. The chill runs down Dahyun’s spine as more tears fall. Chaeyoung wants to wipe them away yet knows she can’t. Settles for giving the older woman as much comfort as she can through her presence and touch.</p><p><em> “It’s okay, Dahyun. Please don’t blame yourself. Besides, I think we’ve become best friends anyway.” </em> Chaeyoung turns her head to indicate the cat on the tombstone and Dahyun breaks. Turning back to the older woman, Chaeyoung takes her hands and says, <em> “You know I am with you always, and I will forever be here.” </em></p><p>Dahyun nods her head vehemently, wishing she could pull Chaeyoung into a tight hug. “I miss you. I think about you often.”</p><p>
  <em> “I miss you too. Despite the fact that we didn’t talk much, I appreciate every smile you sent my way.” </em>
</p><p>“And I you,” Dahyun is quick to reply.</p><p><em> “Promise me one thing,” </em> Chaeyoung says softly. Dahyun nods once. <em> “Take care of her for me.” </em></p><p>Dahyun knows she’s talking about the cat. She smiles. “What’s her name?”</p><p><em> “Ace,” </em>Chaeyoung replies.</p><p>“Beautiful name.”</p><p>Chaeyoung nods, <em> “I found her wandering the streets about two years ago. I never actually owned her but I would feed her and she would always come back and she slept on top of the brick wall outside the house.” </em>Her voice is filled with nostalgia, and melancholy.</p><p>“That’s why she’s always there now.” Putting two and two together, Dahyun wonders why she never noticed before. A fresh tear falls down her cheek. Remembering Chaeyoung’s request, she says, “I will. I promise.”</p><p><em> “Thank you. And just remember, if you ever need a reminder that I’m always here with you.” </em> Ace jumps down and moves to nuzzle her head against Dahyun’s leg. <em> “Look to Ace.” </em></p><p>Dahyun glances back up and looks into Chaeyoung’s eyes, “I will.”</p><p>Suddenly, a blinding light appears behind Chaeyoung, causing Dahyun to close her eyes briefly before reopening them only slightly. She becomes accustomed to the light and sees Chaeyoung turn to look at it.</p><p><em> “It’s time,” </em> she says wistfully. Turning back to Dahyun, she whispers, <em> “Thank you, Dahyun. I know I can count on you.” </em></p><p>“You can,” Dahyun replies concretely. “Thank you, Chaeyoung.”</p><p>Chaeyoung nods slowly before letting go of Dahyun’s hands and turning her back. Ace grabs Dahyun’s attention once more, and Dahyun looks down at her before picking her up off the ground.</p><p>Gradually, Chaeyoung makes her way to the light. And Dahyun suddenly gets a thought. One last thing she needs to say to Chaeyoung before she goes.</p><p>“Chaeyoung?”</p><p><em> “Yes?” </em>the younger woman asks, turning her head.</p><p>“You’re an amazing artist. I just wanted you to know that.”</p><p>Chaeyoung smiles. <em> “Thank you, Dahyun.” </em>They mirror each other’s expressions as Chaeyoung turns back to the light and makes her way towards it.</p><p>A few seconds passes, and the light engulfs Chaeyoung’s ghost before disappearing. Dahyun continues looking ahead for a few seconds, processing what’s just happened as Ace calmly sits in her arms. Her smile fades for a few seconds.</p><p>Then, the smile returns, and she looks towards the sky, seeing what must be a billion stars.</p><p>Ace meows once again.</p><p>And Dahyun knows that no matter where she is, Chaeyoung will always be right by her side.</p>
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